The 50 Best Independent American Food Brands

Walking down the grocery-store aisle these days, it’s harder than ever to figure out which brands are worth buying. We’re bombarded with buzzwords like all-natural, handmade, and organic at every turn, but when even Domino’s has a line of “Artisan Pizza,” it can be tricky to separate the authentic from the fake.

But just like pushing past the sugary fluff of Top 40 radio to discover music with real soul, taking the time to seek out independent food brands is a rewarding endeavor. While heading to your local farmers market is one easy route to go, you shouldn’t stop there—embracing real American food is just as much about hunting down the old-fashioned mom-and-pops that never sold out as it is high-fiving the hipster who made your chocolate bar.

These days, we’re in a golden age when the diversity of small domestic food brands is at an all-time high. From old-school sausage-makers preserving the German traditions of the Midwest, to tech-savvy start-ups perfecting the art of microwaveable popcorn, there’s heritage and innovation in abundance. The key is not to squander it while we have it—thankfully, the Internet and mail-order make it easier than ever to support these businesses and get the coast-to-coast bounty delivered right to your door.

Make no mistakes about it—this is not about eating healthily. Many of the best small-batch businesses craft some of the most decadent grub, from beer-laced caramels to fat haunches of smoked ham. But it is about another aspect of nourishing eating, which is celebrating the makers who create food with integrity, passion, and a story that’s rooted in the people and traditions that inspired it.

Here, we break down 50 of the best indie purveyors in the country, as well as the signature foodstuffs that you need to try from each.

Walking down the grocery-store aisle these days, it's harder than ever to figure out which brands are worth buying. We're bombarded with buzzwords like all-natural, handmade, and organic at every turn, but when even Domino's has a line of "Artisan Pizza," it can be tricky to separate the authentic from the fake.
But just like pushing past the sugary fluff of Top 40 radio to discover music with real soul, taking the time to seek out independent food brands is a rewarding endeavor. While heading to your local farmers market is one easy route to go, you shouldn't stop there—embracing real American food is just as much about hunting down the old-fashioned mom-and-pops that never sold out as it is high-fiving the hipster who made your chocolate bar.
These days, we're in a golden age when the diversity of small domestic food brands is at an all-time high. From old-school sausage-makers preserving the German traditions of the Midwest, to tech-savvy start-ups perfecting the art of microwaveable popcorn, there's heritage and innovation in abundance. The key is not to squander it while we have it—thankfully, the Internet and mail-order make it easier than ever to support these businesses and get the coast-to-coast bounty delivered right to your door.
Make no mistakes about it—this is not about eating healthily. Many of the best small-batch businesses craft some of the most decadent grub, from beer-laced caramels to fat haunches of smoked ham. But it is about another aspect of nourishing eating, which is celebrating the makers who create food with integrity, passion, and a story that's rooted in the people and traditions that inspired it.
Here, we break down 50 of the best indie purveyors in the country, as well as the signature foodstuffs that you need to try from each.

Stan's Pimento Cheese

From: Burlington, NC
Specialty: Pimento cheese
Why we love it: Back in 1952, Stan Hudgins—a local Alamance County grocer—began selling his own signature pimento cheese to the patrons of his store. Today, over 60 years later, Stan’s is home to a four-person enterprise that combines Wisconsin cheese, mayonnaise, pimentos, and other secret ingredients to crank out 25,000 pounds of pimento cheese a week. The Southern spread can be smeared across bread or crackers, and even piled on top of burgers, though we like it best served simply on white bread with a thick slice of tomato. The only drawback: You'll have to find a Southern connect to get your Stan's fix outside of N.C.—the addictive stuff is sold exclusively below the Mason Dixon line.

Wee-R-Sweetz

From: Myrtle Beach, SC
Specialty: Saltwater taffy
Website: canipeschocolates.com
Why we love it: Hand-spun on 100-year-old machines, these chewy taffies could pull fillings straight from your molars and you wouldn’t even think about complaining. Using the same methods and recipes used by founder William B. Canipe, the sweet and salty confections are made from molasses and boiled brown sugar, then stretched by hand in the middle of the Myrtle Beach shop for customers to see. Flavor selections can get a bit wacky, with tri-colored treats boasting names like Beach Ball and Pina Colada. We go for the simple classics like creamy vanilla, chocolate, and banana.

Zapp's Potato Chips

From: Gramercy, LA
Specialty: Kettle-cooked potato chips
Website:zapps.com Why we love it: Made on the banks of the Mississippi River, these kettle-cooked chips have amazing flavors and awesome bag designs to match. In order to entice regional Louisiana palates, founder Ron Zappe decided that a “spicy kick” was what his chips needed to garner popularity. Needless to say, varieties like Cajun Dill Gator-Tator, Voodoo, and Spicy Cajun Crawtater made the chips a hit outside of state lines, too. The thick cut 'taters' pack plenty of spice and salt, as well as a gratifying crunch.

Aplets & Cotlets

From: Cashmere, WA
Specialty: Candies
Website:libertyorchards.com Why we love it: Locally grown “cots” (apricots) and apples are combined with English walnuts to produce something akin to a Turkish Delight, but with much brighter, sweetly acidic flavors. The gelatinous sweets were created by two Armenian business partners who sought to combine the freshest Washington State orchard fruits with their recipe for the Middle Eastern treat. Mission accomplished.

Empire Mayo

From: Brooklyn, NY
Specialty: Mayonnaise
Website:empiremayo.comWhy we love it: A lot of folks rolled their eyes when chef Sam Mason and designer Elizabeth Valleau began upgrading mayonnaise from a tiny-ass kitchen in Brooklyn. But eff that—while "artisan" products like chocolate and coffee will never truly be local, mayo can actually be made from products sourced from nearby farms, and it's safe to say that not everyone is entirely content with Hellman's. The small jars ($6-$9) list ingredients such as local pasture-raised eggs, salt, and vinegar among creative add-ins such as smoked paprika and Vadouvan curry powder. The all-white-everything lab churns out flavors like lime pickle, black garlic, bacon, blue cheese, and white truffle, all of which take even the most simple sandwich or plate of fries to the next level.

Early Bird Granola

From: Brooklyn, NY
Specialty: Granola
Website:earlybirdfoods.comWhy we love it: Let’s be honest, granola is pretty freaking boring, and hearing people talk about how they ate it for breakfast with Greek yogurt is the worst. But this is different. Owner Nekisia Davis gets her oats, pecans, coconuts, and sunflower seeds from the local farmers market, but the real key is two simple additions—olive oil and salt—that take the health-food staple to new savory heights. (Oh, and Martha Stewart likes it too.)

Nueske's Bacon

From: Wittenberg, WI
Specialty: Bacon
Website:nueskes.com Why we love it: Beloved by all Wisconsinites, this 80 year-old family-run business specializes in applewood-smoked meats including turkeys, hams, and sausages, as well as everyone's favorite—bacon. There are six different styles of sliced pork to choose from, and you can get them thick-cut or thin. The signature variety is smoked over applewood embers, inflecting the slick fatty slabs with deeply smoky flavors. Nueske’s is served at some of the most best restaurants around the country, elevating burgers, BLTs, and any other dish that calls for a hit of cured pork.

Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream

From: Columbus, OH
Specialty: Ice cream
Website:jenis.com Why we love it: Ice cream in it’s purest form should be creamy, rich, and transportive. Jeni’s is all those things, but is better than you remember from your childhood. Not overly icy or blown out with air like so many tubs from big-name brands, Jeni’s focuses on showcasing the natural flavors of milk from grass-fed cows and ingredients like homemade peanut brittle, sea salt, and cherry lambic (that’s right, beer ice cream—boom). Along with frozen yogurt and sorbet, ice creams come in signature flavors like brambleberry crisp, brown-butter almond, pistachio-and-honey, plus seasonal varieties such as sweet potato and torched marshmallow. And if all that's not enough, the ice-cream sandwiches are probably the best ever. Truth.

Brassica and Brine

From: Los Angeles, CA
Specialty: Sauerkraut
Website:brassicaandbrine.comWhy we love it: This herbaceous sauerkraut is made using old-school fermentation methods and European-style seasonings. The signature Four Thieves variety packs lavender, sage, rosemary, and thyme—ingredients traditionally believed to ward off the plague—into each organic and vegan jar. The name refers to a story about a crew of robbers who stole from plague victims but avoided sickness themselves using the herbal blend. The floral and woody elements add layers to the lacto-fermented cabbage, which sees no heat or chemicals during the production process—just Celtic sea salt. The mildly crunchy, briny strips are great with hot dogs and Reubens, or enjoyed on their own with a cherry soda.

Liddabit Sweets

"From: Brooklyn, NY
Specialty: Caramels and candy bars
Website:liddabitsweets.comWhy we love it: Sometimes when you eat an artisan candy bar, there's a little voice in the back of your head screaming, I shoulda just had a Kit-Kat. That never happens when you bite into one of these small-batch sweets, made by a scrappy five-person outfit in Brooklyn. There are all sorts of treats, from honeycomb candies to maple-apple lollipops, but the true star of the show is the beer caramels. The caramel itself is made from Ronnybrook heavy cream and cane sugar, and it gets a satisfying crunch from bits of Martin's pretzels, as well as a balancing hit of bitterness from Brooklyn Brewery's Brown and East India Pale ales.

Ashlawn Farm

From: Lyme, CT
Specialty: Coffee
Website:farmcoffee.comWhy we love it: There are endless sources of single-origin beans and artisanally roasted coffee, from major players like Stumptown and Intelligensia to tiny outfits spanning from coast to coast. But we're going to go ahead and play favorites by tapping Ashlawn as one of the best hyper-regional roasters we've encountered yet. From her coffee workshop on a bucolic farm in Connecticut, Carol Dahlke turns out the type of beans you want to brew with every morning, not just when you're feeling fancy. Ashlawn's two signature roasts are the best place to start: the dark and heavy Captain Bill's and the bright 1730 Blend, a light mocha-java roast that uses the same Southeast Asian and Northern African beans that New England settlers would have brewed 300 years ago.

204Sweet Marshmallows

From: Columbus, IN
Specialty: Beet-sugar marshmallows
Website:240sweets.comWhy we love it: Indiana artisans Alexa Lemley and Samantha Aulick use Michigan beet sugar to make these fat, squishy marshmallows, available in more than 90 varieties. Get them straight up (in flavors like key lime and root beer), capped with toppings (candy cane, toffee chip), or swirled with ingredients like Nutella, blueberry jam, and Maldon-salt-spiked caramel. There are also plenty of gifting options, including a "Marshmallow of the Month" club.

Pain Is Good

From: Kansas City, KA
Specialty: Hot sauce
Website:originaljuan.comWhy we love it: Original Juan Specialty Foods creates a wide range of hot-sauce mini brands out of its small factory in Kansas City, but none are as consistently excellent as the Pain Is Good line. While some novelty hot sauces are all about the single-note burn, these have nuance and balance, drawing out the inherent flavors of habaneros, jalapenos, and Scotch bonnets. In addition to the sauces, grab snacks like the next-level microwaveable popcorn, plus nuts seasoned with jerk spices.

Benton's Smoky Mountain Hams

From: Madisonville,TN
Specialty: Smoked hams and bacon
Website:bentonscountryhams2.comWhy we love it: Allan Benton's smoked hams and thick slabs of hickory bacon are the stuff of legend. And despite his exceedingly humble demeanor, Benton has become a brand name as a result, appearing on the menus of some of the country's most esteemed restaurants. But the success hasn't changed his process or family recipe, and it probably never will. His is an all-American tale of sticking to one's guns, and you can taste the integrity in every bite. Read more about the Benton story here.

Kreuz Market

From: Lockhart, TX
Specialty: Smoked meats
Website:kreuzmarket.comWhy we love it: Straight out of Texas barbecue country comes this bastion of smoke-inflected meats, which has been turning out fatty, tender brisket since 1900. The offerings have expanded a bit over the years, but it's still all about 'cue prepared to exacting Texan standards. While the brisket is most famous, our favorite mail-order item is the sausages, especially the cheddar-jalapeno variety, with bits of jalapeno and chunks of cheese that ooze out when you bite into the banger.

Englewood United Methodist Church peanuts

From: Rocky Mount, NC
Specialty: Water-blanched North Carolina peanuts
Buy it here:store.kaufmann-mercantile.comWhy we love it: For 50 years, the Englewood United Methodist Church men’s group has been making this delicious snack with nothing but peanuts, salt, and water. They're blanched in hot water, then quickly fried in peanut oil, dried, salted, and packaged by hand. This obscure Southern specialty is dangerously addictive, with a perfect balance of crunch and saltiness.

D'Artagnan

From: Newark, NJ
Specialty: Foie gras
Website:dartagnan.comWhy we love it: Foie gras enthusiasts in America all know the name D'Artagnan, which back in 1985 was a trailblazer in creating a domestically produced version of the French specialty. Founder Ariane Daguin has expanded the company's repertoire to include other staples of classic French cooking, from pâtés and game birds, to truffles and rendered duck fat. These products are used by some of the best chefs in the country, and you can get them all delivered right to your home. If you're looking to cook an extravagant holiday meal, D'Artagnan is the place to go for the raw materials.

La Quercia

From: Norwalk, IA
Specialty: Cured meats
Website:laquercia.usWhy we love it: It was prosciutto that first put La Quercia on the map back in 2001, garnering early accolades from the likes of food writer Jeffrey Steingarten. The founders call it "prosciutto Americano," emphasizing the idea that it is simply a copy of the Italian tradition, but a unique domestic product made with pigs sourced from within 200 miles from the production plant. Other types of salumi—including coppa, speck, and guanciale—are equally impressive.

Honolulu Fish Company

From: Honolulu, HI
Specialty: Fresh fish
Website:honolulufish.comWhy we love it: Looking for some of the freshest, most pristine fish you can by in America? Look no further than this gourmet purveyor, which packages fresh, wild-caught Hawaii fish and ships it within 18-24 hours. From ahi to swordfish, all of the offerings are sashimi-grade and unlike anything you'll get at your local supermarket. No wonder chefs like Eric Ripert and Jean-Georges Vongerichten use the product.

McClure's Pickles

From: Detroit, MI and Brooklyn, NY
Specialty: Pickled goods
Website:mcclurespickles.comWhy we love it: McClure's is a family-owned pickling company that sprung out of a kitchen in Detroit. Although most of the production still takes place in Detroit, the company also calls Brooklyn home, where one of the two founding brothers lives and makes small batches of the various pickles, brines, and relishes. In addition to crisp garlic dills and bloody Mary mix, McClure's sells excellent potato chips and spicy relish.

Roelli Cheese

From: Shullsburg, WI
Specialty: Blue cheese
Website:roellicheese.comWhy we love it: When an independent producer has been around for more than 100 years, it's usually doing something right. The family-owned Roelli Company is in the business of Wisconsin cheese, and the small company had a breakout hit a few years ago when it launched Dunbarton Blue. The blue cheese is mild enough to convert those skeptical of stinky curds, but it still packs enough punch to satisfy fans of the style. The unique product is created by combining traditional cheddar processes with the funkiness of blue mold.

Hancock Lobster Company

From: Topsham, ME
Specialty: Maine lobsters
Website:hancockgourmetlobster.comWhy we love it: Sometimes you need to get real New England with it and order some awesome lobsters. Obviously, you want Maine lobsters—and you need a name you can trust. The Hancock Gourmet Lobster Company is that name, coming through with pristine crustaceans, as well as lobster mac and cheese, pot pies, and more.

Red Stick Spice Co

From: Baton Rouge, LA
Specialty: Cajun and Creole spice blends
Website:redstickspice.comWhy we love it: This family-owned outfit specializes in teas, olives, and spices, sold through the website and a retail store in Louisiana. The cranberry-maple rub is spot-on for heartier winter dishes, while the spicy-sweet Who Dat blend brings some Cajun kick to summer grilling.

Vermont Peanut Butter

From: Morrisville, VT
Specialty: Nut butters
Website:vtpeanutbutter.comWhy we love it: Chris Kaiser has changed the game in peanut butter. Skip the standard creamy/chunky varieties and go straight for Avalance, a mix of peanut butter and white chocolate, or Mad River Mojo, which combines peanuts, almonds, dried berries, and Vermony honey for a energy-packed spread.

Emmy's Organics

From: Ithaca, NY
Specialty: Vegan and raw macaroons and sweet snacks
Website:emmysorganics.comWhy we love it: If the idea of raw, vegan sweets doesn't immediately strike your fancy, bear with us. Emmy's Organics has grown considerably since it was founded in late 2008, earning its place alongside more mainstream brands in big-box stores such as Whole Foods and Organic Avenue. The macaroons—the staple product—are moist and chewy (go for Chai Spice or Chocolate Chili). Dip them into a jar of the vegan chocolate sauce and see if you still care that they don't contain any animal products.

Red Jacket Orchards

From: Geneva, NY
Specialty: Cold-pressed juices and locally grown fresh fruit
Website:redjacketorchards.comWhy we love it: Red Jackets Orchards is probably best known for its cold-pressed juices, made from fruit grown in upstate New York. But the company also sells that same fruit in whole form at greenmarkets around the region. Track the crew down during prime harvest and choose from fresh apricots, raspberries, plums, cherries, and of course, immaculate apples.

Catskills Provisions Honey

From: Catskill Mountains, NY
Specialty: Raw honey
Website:catskillprovisions.comWhy we love it: Beekeeper Claire Marin left the NYC publishing world behind to start this company, which focuses on selling wildflower honey from her own beehives in the Catskill Mountains. The floral elixir is offered in two seasonal runs—fall and spring—and both are a testament to the simple splendor of an unaltered product.

Jonboy Caramels

From: Seattle, WA
Specialty: Caramels
Website:jonboycaramels.comWhy we love it: Jonathan Sue and Jason Alm teamed up to create these soft, rich caramels, crafted by hand using organic ingredients. Current flavors include classic fleur de sel, but for something a little more unexpected, try absinthe with black salt, or whiskey and smoked salt. Individually wrapped in parchment paper and presented in a simple cardboard box, these candies make a great gift—to yourself or anyone you like.

K.C. Buffalo Company

From: Belton, MO
Specialty: Buffalo meat
Website:kcbuffalo.comWhy we love it: Look no further than rural Missouri for all of your buffalo meat needs. You can get the lean, grass-fed meat in steak, dog, or patty form. The best gift option might be the jerky though, which also comes in various styles, includes whole-muscle strips and the stick-style Old Timer jerky.

Usinger's Sausage

From: Milwaukee
Specialty: Sausage
Website:usinger.comWhy we love it: Since 1880, Usinger's has made Milwaukee proud and put the USA in sausage. The family-owned brand produces 70 varieties of classic European-style wieners—ranging from bratwurst to knackwurst—and plenty of beer snacks in between. If you want pitch-perfect old-school flavors, hit up the factory on North Old Third Street in Milwaukee, or check out the company's charmingly lo-fi website.

Herr's

From: Nottingham, PA
Specialty: Potato chips and pretzels
Website:herrs.comWhy we love it: Family-run since inception in 1946, Herr Food Inc. is a mid-Atlantic mainstay for snack enthusiasts. Don't dismiss the potato chip as basic. While the product might not be artisanal, the brand excels at perfect articulations of American favorites and produces the platonic ideal of the salt and pepper flavor. If you love snacks, you'll want to head to any of the company's regional centers for a factory tour.

Grafton Village Cheese Company

From: Brattleboro, VT
Specialty: Cheese
Website:graftonvillagecheese.comWhy we love it: This is cheese with a conscious—as part of the Windham Foundation, Grafton Village Cheese uses a portion of its proceeds to promote rural communities in its home state. Don't miss the award-winning Shepsog, Naked Cheddar, or Bismark. And, if you visit Brattleboro, be sure to hit up the factory store to snag some curds straight from the source.

Koeze

From: Grand Rapids, MI
Specialty: Nuts
Website:koeze.comWhy we love it: It's totally reasonable to go nuts for Koeze products. Sorry, bad pun. But seriously, the company produces colossal cashews and other mixed varieties and puts them in really handsome decanters—what's not to like? Those in the know will snatch up cases of Cream-Nut Peanut Butter. Disputing the Koeze slogan—"Good as Gold"—is near impossible.

Boccalone

From: San Francisco, CA
Specialty: Tasty pig parts
Website:boccalone.comWhy we love it: San Francisco has its fair share of salumi makers. Boccalone wasn't the first, but it is flying the flag for a distinct-style of cured meats that melds innovation with respect for tradition. The brand, co-founded by offal enthusiast and Top Chef Chris Cosentino, is a proponent of "American" salumi, made with local, hand-butchered meats in small batches. Emphasis is placed on natural flavors (no unnecessary nitrates here) and direct-to-consumer delivery.

American Spoon

From: Petosky, MI
Specialty: Preserves and salsas
Website:spoon.comWhy we love it: Since 1982, American Spoon has been sourcing the best berries from Michigan fruit growers and making handcrafted preserves, brandy fruits, and salsas. The brand is a collaboration between Justin Rashid and the legendary chef Larry Forgione, who combine the best of the farmer's dreams and the New York chef's kitchen savvy. Forgione developed the recipes for Rashid's freshly harvested berries, and from there a lively palate of flavors developed. Don't just trust our opinion—American Spoon claimed a Good Food Award this year.

Pasta Puttana

From: Chicago, IL
Specialty: Pasta
Website:pastaputtana.comWhy we love it: Jessica Volpe is the Windy City's pasta darling. Her passion for Sicilian-American cooking prompted a passion for creating farm-fresh, hand-made flavored and flat pastas. She says they take hours to make, but just minutes to cook. They take seconds to eat—especially the fiery red chile and golden egg varieties. Fun fact: This brand was incubated at Kitchen Chicago, a shared-use facility that gives small food businesses space to launch new concepts with lowered risk.

Great Hill Blue

From: Marion, MA
Specialty: Blue cheese
Website:greathillblue.comWhy we love it: Buzzards Bay, along the coast of Massachusetts, is home to a number of well-regarded small-batch food products. The jewel in the crown is Great Hill Dairy. From a herd of Guernsey cows comes one of the finest blue cheeses in America. Proving that consistency is king, the dairy makes just one variety of cheese, kicked out in hulking six-pound wheels and perfect for crackers and burgers alike.

Mama O's Kimchi

From: Brooklyn, NY
Specialty: Kimchi
Website:kimcheerules.comWhy we love it: First We Feast's resident mascot, Vik, doesn't mess around when it comes to kimchi. Neither does Kheedim Oh, a DJ by night and master cabbage-fermenter just about any other time. His recipe came straight from his mama, who helped the Brooklyn-based sensation craft Mama O's unmistakable style. What began as just an NYC hit has now spread as far as Salt Lake City. It should be a pantry staple right alongside Heinz Ketchup and your favorite salsa.

Potter's Crackers

From: Madison, WI
Specialty: Crackers
Website:potterscrackers.comWhy we love it: Lots of cheese on this list, right? Here's what to eat it with: Potter's Crackers. Celebrated for seasonal flavors, the handmade, sustainable snack is a mother and son collaboration. Peter Potter Webber, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin with a degree in food science, didn't have to look far for a baking partner—mom Nancy is a former owner of New Glarus Bakery. They responded to the artisan-cheese craze in the state with the perfect accompaniment, and they've expanded to bring their product to northern California. They offer 10 year-round varieties to go with the seasonal flavors—we fux with some baked potato chive crackers.

Hummel Bros.

From: New Haven, CT
Specialty: Hot dogs
Website:hummelbros.comWhy we love it: Aside from questionable politics, Connecticut's most intriguing contributions to America come via foodways. The state is a bastion of regional delights, none more remarkable than the superb hot dog stands that dot the area. What do most of the stands have in common? Hummel Bros. weiners. For 80 years, the New Haven-based company has fueled the local fetish for frankfurters. Now, thanks to mail-order, your taste of the Constitution State is only a few clicks away.

Bourbon Barrel Foods

From: Louisville, KY
Specialty: Soy sauce and spices
Website:bourbonbarrelfoods.comWhy we love it: Soy sauce from Kentucky? Damn right. At Bourbon Barrel, they do things slow, and they do them right. Aging in bourbon barrels gives all the products a touch of smoke, from finishing salts and marinates to vanilla extract. Everything here is perfect for kicking your next barbecue up to the next level.

Martin's Pretzels

From: Akron, PA
Specialty: Pretzels
Website:martinspretzels.comWhy we love it: These Pennsylvania Dutch hard pretzels have been a Lancaster County tradition for more than 80 years. The process is part of the charm: Each one is hand-rolled, twisted, and salted, then baked in old-fashioned stone ovens without any newfangled equipment in sight. Fans often point to the indentations on the dough showing where it has been pressed and prodded, but you'll quickly realize that eating the pretzels is even more gratifying than admiring them. Speckled with fat grains of salt, they've got a hard crunch and just the right hint of chewiness on the interior—nothing beats a tin of these pretzels, a pot of spicy mustard, and a cold beer.

Dancing Deer Baking Company

From: Boston, MA
Specialty: Baked goods
Website:dancingdeer.comWhy we love it: If you ever need to order a great gift for someone in a bind, Dancing Deer is your savior. The Massachusetts-based baked goods company nails it on all fronts: The packaging is attractive, all of the company employees are stakeholders, and the treats are flat-out delicious. Go for the killer molasses cookies, the classic brownies, and lemon bars, or grab an assorted gift set for mom when she accuses you of not calling enough.

Poorfarm maple syrup

From: Washington, VT
Specialty: Maple syrup
Website:
poorfarmfarm.com Why we love it: Make the upgrade from Aunt Jemima with some pure-grade Vermont maple syrup. Crafted on a small farm that also rears pasture-raised cows, pigs, goats, and chickens, the caramel-tinged elixir comes in handsome glass containers and packs a bright, citrusy punch that you won’t find in any mass-produced varieties.

Old South

From: Alma, AL
Specialty: Pickled goods
Website:oldsouth.comWhy we love it: You might think you’ve seen it all when it comes to pickling, but this old dog—founded at the foot of the Ozarks back in 1947—might show you a few tricks. The charmingly old-fashioned outfit pickles everything from watermelon rinds to garlic cloves, but the real winner is the spicy Brussels sprout variety, ideal for bloody Marys or just eating on their own.

Tcho

From: San Francisco, CA
Specialty: Single-origin chocolate
Website:tcho.comWhy we love it: While many nouveau artisans can be annoyingly twee about their hand-crafted image, Tcho has been slick and unmistakably modern from day one. Born out of the Silicon Valley tech culture, the company isn’t focused on returning to the chocolate traditions of the past, but rather finding new ways to explore the joys of cocoa. The product itself is top-notch—it’s used by many of the country’s top pastry chefs—but it’s the packaging and experience that really makes Tcho standout. Rather than emphasizing insidery buzzwords like “70% cocoa” or "single-origin," the color-coded Tcho system breaks down the flavor profiles of all its chocolates, from “nutty” to “floral” to “citrus.” The result is a chocolate sampler box updated for Gen-Y—it's user-friendly and educational without sacrificing taste.

Olde Colony Bakery

From: Mount Pleasant, SC
Specialty: Benne wafers
Website:oldecolonybakery.comWhy we love it: Celebrity southern food ambassadors the Lee Bros. have helped bring national attention to this Charleston bakery, but it's been a regional gem since 1940. The benne wafer is what you're after—a thin, crispy sesame cookie that has deep roots in Charleston heritage. Get a box for anyone who loves historic American foods and the nutty crunch of toasted sesame.

San Angel Mole Company

From: Los Angeles, CA
Specialty:Mole
Website:sanangelmole.comWhy we love it: Even when they're good, jarred marinara sauces often leave us feeling guilty about not making our own. Not so with mole—the deeply flavorful Mexican sauce is complicated to cook yourself (some varieties use more than 30 ingredients), so there's no shame in leaving it to the experts. Partners Tim and Florence Guerrero McCarthy took their restaurant and culinary school experience and applied it to the soul food of Oaxaca, turning out a red mole, a more chocolaty black mole, and a cascabel sauce that's perfect with enchiladas.

Quinn Popcorn

From: Boston, MA
Specialty: Popcorn
Website:quinnpopcorn.comWhy we love it: This three-year-old company has just one mission: To improve the state of microwaveable popcorn. That's why when you get a box of Quinn's, it doesn't just come with sleeves of dry kernels, but also separately packaged organic seasonings like rosemary and Parmesan, or Vermont maple and sea salt. The slick concept and execution have allowed the company to grow quickly, and the team has already begun its assault on grocery store shelves. But don't let the polish make you think that Quinn's doesn't have the true DIY spirit of an indie brand—in fact, it's website pretty much a blueprint for launching your own startup, with blog posts detailing every step of the process, from product development to graphic design to funding. Innovation can be just as exciting as going back to basics.

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